Celtics get their man, add Hayward

The Boston Celtics have been linked to Gordon Hayward for months. Even his wife posted photos of his children wearing clover leads, which indicated the move.

Hayward, who was considered one of the top free agents, is making his decision on July 4th. Last year, Kevin Durant made his decision on the holiday by signing a two-year deal with the Golden State Warriors — and it worked out for them in June when the Warriors won the NBA Finals over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Hayward has received a four-year, $128 million deal. The Celtics are hoping that he’ll have the same impact that Durant did in his first-year with his new team.

The 27-year-old spent his entire seven-year career with the Jazz up until this point. He was the 9th overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft.

Hayward had a career season this past season, including guiding the Jazz to the second-round of the playoffs. The Jazz even hoped that by acquiring Ricky Rubio in a trade and re-signing Joe Ingles, his best friend on the team, would help me stay put.

His numbers increased every year that he was with the team. In 73 starts this past season, he averaged 21.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.3 blocks.

In 516 career games, including 408 starts, he has an average of 15.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.4 blocks.